Showing posts with label #ualberta. Show all posts

Monday, January 27, 2020

New in the Internet Archive: UAlberta's Growing Digital Collection

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Written by Sarah Severson

Did you know that the University of Alberta Library has a huge collection of digitized items, many of them dating back a century or more?

2019 has been a busy year for the University of Alberta Library’s digitization program and has seen us add almost 22,000 new items to our Internet Archive collection.

For several years, we have partnered with Internet Archive as our digitization partner, and this year we expanded our scanning center at the RCRF and opened up a second scanning center on North Campus that can accommodate rare or special materials. In addition to this new digitization capacity, we’ve also started to upload material digitized in the past with other partners, and giving it a new home in the Internet Archive.

We’re adding new things every day, so check back in!

Highlights from the Past Year


Peel’s Prairie Provinces Internet Archive collection holds material related to Western Canadian history and the culture of the Prairie Provinces. For users of our larger Peel’s Prairie Provinces Digital Collection, this new collection provides complementary additions.


The collection includes material such as:
  • 3516 issues of the Gateway newspaper that cover 100 years of student publishing history (1916-2016)
https://archive.org/details/peel?and[]=subject%3A%22gateway%22

  • French Newspapers: such as the Patriote de L’Ouest, Progrès, Echo de Manitoba, L’union 
https://archive.org/details/peel?&and[]=subject%3A%22%C3%A9cho%20de%20Manitoba%22https://archive.org/details/peel?&and[]=subject%3A%22patriote%20de%20l%27Ouest%22https://archive.org/details/peel?&and[]=subject%3A%22progr%C3%A8s%22

Historical Postcard Collection
427 high resolution scans of a variety of historical postcards depicting scenes of life on the prairies in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Many of these were scanned as part of SLIS practicum projects, giving students the opportunity to digitize and describe a small, curated set of materials, and make them available to the public.
"Bear in Mind" We are very much alive at Calgary, Alta.
Playbills Collection
In the fall we digitized 800+ playbills housed at the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections. These document in detail the casts, contents, dates and prices of the performances staged in major playhouses of the United Kingdom from 1779 though 1949. The playbills also provide a wealth of information and opportunity for research in the study of history, graphic design and linguistics.
https://archive.org/details/bpsc_playbills

This is not all!

In total, we have almost 125,000 thousand items in the Internet Archive and we are actively working on other major projects. Go to:  archive.org/details/university_of_alberta_libraries to explore some of our other collections!

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. With a mission to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge, Internet Archive forms partnerships with institutions like ours to digitize various materials and make them available to anyone, anywhere in the world. Internet Archive is our primary digitization partner.

The Internet Archive interface offers a few key features, including:
  • Full-text search of each item: Internet Archive uses an automated process, OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to “transcribe” the text by machine, so it may not be perfect every time, especially for historical items or funky typography! Search each item individually or search the texts of an entire collection.
  • Download high-resolution files: Each item includes the highest resolution files we have that you can download yourself as image files or PDF; see download option the left-hand side of each item.
  • Find something that you need to “Borrow” or “Join Waitlist”? That means it’s still under copyright, so your ability to download & copy the item is limited. Create a free account with Internet Archive to Borrow for 2 weeks at a time or join the waitlist.
  • Need to download a whole collection for your research? You can do that using the Internet Archive’s command-line interface.

Internet Archive is one of the many places where we hold U of A’s digitized collections; find more digital collections at: https://library.ualberta.ca/digital-initiatives/digital-collections

Questions? Email us at digitization@ualberta.ca

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

The 5th Annual Images of Research Competition is Coming : This is What You Need to Know

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The University of Alberta Images of Research Competition & Exhibition is celebrating its 5 year anniversary this year. In addition to University of Alberta graduate students, this year's competition is also open to postdoctoral fellows from all disciplines.

Semifinalists will have their image and description immortalized in the University of Alberta's Education & Research Archive (ERA) Images of Research Collection.

Submissions will be accepted from January 20, 2020 to February 7, 2020 at 5 PM. Visit the competition website for more details uab.ca/ior.

The third and final submission preparation workshop will be on January 29, 2020. This workshop is approved as Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research Professional Development credits. Register for this workshop here.

For inspirational purposes, below are some of the entries from the 2019 competition.

Rutherford Library Galleria is holding an exhibition of past IOR semifinalist for the month of January.

Abundant Recursive Mathematics Curricula Possibilities
Luo, Lixin
First Prize





Meiosis
Girodat, Jamie-Lee
Semi-Finalist





The Importance of Traditional Knowledge in Freshwater and Fish Monitoring
Stenekes, Sydney
Semi-Finalist



The University of Alberta Images of Research Competition & Exhibition is a partnership through the University of Alberta Library, Faculty of Graduate Studies & Research, and Campus Design and Print Solutions.

Follow competition updates on social media @uofalibrary @UAlbertaFGSR #ualbertaIOR

Monday, December 2, 2019

Trim a Pyjama Tree in support of Kids Kottage!

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Our H. T. Coutts Education Library kicks off their annual Donation Tree campaign on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 with a pyjama-inspired tree-trimming theme in support of Kids Kottage.


Kids Kottage is a locally-run, non-profit organization that provides 24-hour crisis care for kids and families in need. The Education Library's 2019 drive focuses on the collection of kids' pyjamas and onesies, but they will also accept items for Kids Kottage from the organization's prescribed wish list.

* Vous pouvez également déposer vos dons de pyjamas au comptoir de service de la Bibliothèque Saint Jean.*
The campaign will run until Friday, December 20, 2019. All donations to be hung on the Donation Tree, located just through the entrance doors on the Education Library's main floor. Any questions regarding the Donation Tree can be forwarded to the Education Library Service Desk at 780-492-3770.

Monday, October 28, 2019

4th Annual Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover: Asian Authors

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UAlberta Libraries Annual Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover event starts October 28!



Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover is an annual event hosted by the University of Alberta Libraries that aims to shed light on underrepresented groups. As a twist on regular book displays, books are wrapped in brown paper and teaser keywords are written on the front. This wrapping symbolizes the marginalization of the group, and puts the focus on the content of the story.



This year we are celebrating authors from East and Southeast Asian countries, and their diasporas, by featuring over 400 books on display at 8 libraries!

Stop in at one of our participating libraries: Rutherford, Coutts, Winspear, Cameron, Scott, Weir, Bibliothèque Saint-Jean and Augustana; October 28 - November 8 and pick up something new to read.


We value your feedback! Fill in our Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover survey and be entered to win 1 of 3 books featured in this year’s displays. Official rules below.

_________________________________________________________________________


“DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER” 2019
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

1. CONTEST: The “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” Contest (the “Contest”) is conducted by The Governors of the University of Alberta (“UAlberta”) and administered on behalf of UAlberta by the University of Alberta Libraries (“UAL”).  The Contest is for participants to complete a survey about their experience in the “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” event (“Event”).  In Fall 2019, the Event will be featuring Asian authors.  Participants will be invited via email to complete the survey.  At the end of the survey, they have the opportunity to enter the Contest, in accordance with the eligibility criteria as set out in these Official Rules.

2. ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for the Contest (an “Eligible Entrant”) you must be: 

a. Eighteen (18) years of age or older;
b. A participant of the Event and who has completed the survey.

You are not eligible for the Contest if you are a resident of Quebec or if you are an employee of UAL, including a member of the immediate family (defined as mother, father, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and husband or wife, regardless of where they reside) or household of any of the above persons, their respective affiliates, agents, licensors, associates or representatives.  You are also not eligible for the Contest if you have not participated in the Event.  All decisions regarding eligibility to enter this Contest and the Entry Forms will be determined by UAlberta its sole discretion.  This Contest is void where prohibited by law. 

3. NUMBER, APPROXIMATE VALUE OF PRIZE AND CHANCES OF WINNING: There are three (3) prizes available to be won in this Contest (a “Prize”; collectively “Prizes”).  The Prizes are described in paragraph 9 below.  The chances of winning a Prize will depend on the number of Eligible Entrants received in accordance with these Official Rules during the Entry Period as defined herein.

4. CONTEST SCHEDULE: This Contest commences on Monday, October 28, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (Edmonton Time) and closes on Friday, November 29, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. (Edmonton Time) (the “Entry Period”). Entry Forms must be received by UAL before the contest closing time, which is Friday, November 29, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. (Edmonton Time) (the “Contest Closing Time”) to be eligible to win the Prize.

5. HOW TO ENTER: No purchase is necessary to enter this Contest. To enter, the following rules apply:

a. Participants will be asked to complete the “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” Survey, upon completion of the Survey, and will be directed to the following online google Entry Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd51MYFG_h29ittnWstU9NaYFqYhBvDZ5jAjrNbgE23IkskuA/viewform?usp=sf_link (the “Entry Form”).  Each Eligible Entrant may only enter the Contest once.

Once submitted, all Entry Forms become the property of UAlberta and will not be returned. All Entry Forms will be reviewed, and any Entry Forms which are deemed to be late, illegible, incomplete, inaccurate, inappropriate, offensive, plagiarized, subject to copyright or other intellectual property considerations, do not meet the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPP”) or privacy considerations, as set out in paragraph 18 herein, and otherwise, or which are deemed to not enhance the reputation of UAlberta, will be disqualified.  The determination of whether an Entry Form is illegible, incomplete, offensive, late, or deemed not to enhance the reputation of UAlberta will be in the sole discretion of UAL. 

6. PRIZE DRAW DETAILS: The draw will take place on Monday, December 2, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. (Edmonton Time).  The Eligible Entrants who’s Entry Form is drawn at random and has complied with these Official Rules, including without limitation the provisions of paragraph 8 will be declared a Winner.  If necessary, should a Prize be unclaimed, or should a Winner be unwilling, unable or ineligible to win the Prize as set out in these Official Rules, the Prize will be forfeited and UAlberta shall have the right, but not the obligation, to draw, as replacements only, an additional prize winner(s).  All participants (including without limitation Eligible Entrants and Winners) must comply with these Official Rules.  The determination of the Winners by UAlberta is final and binding.  No communication with Eligible Entrants will be entered into except with the Winners which will be selected in accordance with these Official Rules.  All matters related to the Contest and the verification of the eligibility of the Eligible Entrants and Winners will be conducted by UAlberta, or by persons designated by UAlberta in its sole and absolute discretion.  All decisions made by UAlberta in this regard are final and binding and cannot be challenged.

7. NOTIFICATION: UAlberta will notify the Winners via email on Monday, December 2, 2019 by 10:00 a.m. (Edmonton time).  UAL will contact the Winners using the information provided by an Eligible Entrant with the Entry Form.  If a Winner does not contact UAL by Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 9:00 p.m. (Edmonton Time), UAL shall have the right, but not the obligation, to select an alternative Winner. 

8. DECLARATION OF WINNER: An Eligible Entrant(s) will not be declared a winner in accordance with these Official Rules unless and until:

a. UAL has verified that the winner is an Eligible Entrant pursuant to these Official Rules; and
b. The Eligible Entrant correctly answers a skill-testing question as set out in these Official Rules.

Once these requirements have taken place, the Eligible Entrants will be declared the winners (the “Winners”).  

9. PRIZE: There will be three (3) Prizes, all of which are books titled “An Ocean of Minutes” by Thea Lim, each valued in the amount of $24.70 (CDN).  The total value of all Prizes is $74.10 (CDN).  The Prizes are not transferable and must be accepted as awarded with no substitutions, except at the UAlberta’s sole discretion.  UAlberta reserves the right to substitute the Prize of equivalent monetary value if UAlberta is unable to award the Prize as described. UAlberta will not be responsible, however, if factors beyond the UAlberta’s reasonable control prevents the Prize from being fulfilled.  In any such event, the Winners will not be provided with a substitute prize or cash equivalent.  The Prizes will only be granted to the verified Winners.  The Winners of the Prizes will be required to pick up the Prizes in person at the Rutherford Library Service Desk.

10. SKILL TESTING QUESTION: To win a Prize, the Eligible Entrant must correctly answer unaided, the mathematical, time-limited, skill-testing question as follows: 70 multiplied by 3 divided by 2 =______ prior to being declared a Winner.

11. CONTEST MODIFICATION OR CANCELLATION: UAlberta reserves the right, without prior notice and at any time, to delay, or terminate the Contest, in whole or in part, or modify, suspend, amend or extend the Contest in any way, in its sole discretion including without limitation if UAlberta determines that the Contest is not practicable or is impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions (including without limitation, computer viruses, glitches or printing or production errors) have destroyed or severely undermined the proper conduct, integrity, and/or feasibility of the Contest. In the event UAL is prevented from continuing with the Contest as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, natural or man-made epidemic or health or other means, earthquake, explosion, labour dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, riot or civil disturbance, terrorist threat or activity, war or any federal, provincial or local government law, order, or regulation, public health crisis, the order of any court or jurisdiction, or by any other cause not reasonably within UAlberta’s control (each a “Force Majeure” event), then subject to any governmental approval which may be required, UAlberta shall have the right to modify, suspend, extend or terminate the Contest.

12. PARTICIPATION: Participation in this Contest constitutes an agreement by each Eligible Entrant to comply with these Official Rules.

13. DISQUALIFICATION: It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has complied in full with all of the conditions and requirements contained in these Official Rules. If any potential winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules or declines the Prize, whatever the case may be, for any reason prior to award, such potential winner will be disqualified and, in UAlberta’s sole discretion, an alternate Winner may be selected. No mechanically reproduced, illegible, incomplete, forged, software generated or other automated multiple entries will be accepted.  UAlberta reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest; or violating the terms of use and or general rules or guidelines of the UAlberta or to be acting in a violation of these Official Rules; or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of this Contest, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. UAlberta reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. ATTENTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIVERATELY DAMAGE OR TO UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, UALBERTA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO CRMINAL PROSECUTION.

14. RELEASE AND INDEMNIFICATION: By entering the Contest, each participant: (a) releases and agrees to hold UAlberta and its respective directors, officers, employees, and agents harmless from and against any and all costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind, including, without limitation, bodily injury and property damage, or any other damage or loss, due in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, to participation in this Contest, any Contest related activity, or from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any Prize, or participation in any Prize related activity; and (b) agrees to fully indemnify UAlberta and its respective directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all claims on the part of any third party or parties related in any way and for any reason to the Contest or the Prize including, without limitation, death, and personal or property damage or injury.

15. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: UAlberta assumes no responsibility or liability for incorrect, damaged, illegible, incomplete, mutilated, spoiled, destroyed, stolen, misplaced, lost, late, misdirected or incomplete Entry Forms, which may be judged void, any notifications, responses, replies, or for any computer, telephone, hardware, software or technical malfunctions that may occur. UAlberta assumes no responsibility for any theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, Entry Forms. UAlberta is not responsible for any injury or damage to participants in this Contest.

16. OFFICIAL RULES AND LAWS: These are the official rules (the “Official Rules”). This Contest is governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Province of Alberta and federal laws of Canada applicable therein and the parties hereby attorn to the jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Alberta. In the event a court determines that this Choice of Law clause is invalid or unenforceable as against an Entry Form, such Entry Form will be void. These Contest rules are subject to change without notice in order to comply with any applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws or the policy of any other entity having jurisdiction over the UAlberta. These Official Rules, as amended from time to time, will be posted on the website at https://library.ualberta.ca/.

17. CONSTRUCTION: Words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Official Rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these Official Rules shall otherwise remain in effect and be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained in these Official Rules. Headings and captions are used in these Official Rules solely for ease of reference, and shall not be deemed to affect in any manner the meaning or intent of these Official Rules or any provision hereof. These Official Rules cannot be modified or amended in any way except in writing by a duly authorized representative of the UAlberta. Employees of UAlberta are not authorized to modify, amend or waive these Official Rules.

18. PRIVACY: The personal information requested pursuant to these Official Rules is collected, used and disclosed under the authority of the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPP”) and will be protected in accordance with Part 2 of that Act. It will be collected, used and disclosed for the purpose of administration of the Contest.   All personal information collected for the purposes of administration of the Contest will be retained for two (2) years from the closing of the Contest.  Direct any questions about this collection, use or disclosure to: Amy Southgate at southgat@ualberta.ca.


Thursday, October 10, 2019

Let us introduce you to... Han!

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Staff profiles tell the story of an organization. Here at the University of Alberta Libraries, this is ours...
Meet Han!

Han was one of our many talented summer students who traveled from library to library organizing our holds, finding interlibrary loans, missing books and cracking jokes😁 She is working hard in her 3rd year studying Elementary Education. Check out the article Han wrote for September's Gateway https://issuu.com/the_gateway/docs/sep2019_thegatewaymag4/12

Han looking smart and friendly in a portrait of her in a building on campus with big windows

What made you decide to work at the library as a student? 
I've been going to the library since I was little and it's always been my happy place, so why not work where you're happiest, right? Also it's on campus which is pretty hard to beat in terms of a job.

What is your favourite breakfast food?
I can't turn down a good hashbrown. No matter the form, give it to me McDonald's style or in the fancy whole potato cut up form. I love them all! It fuels you for your day and goes amazing with hot sauce.

What is your absolute dream job?
I would be a photojournalist. I think it's the coolest thing in the world to be able to tell a story through pictures and if you can travel the world while doing it, all the better. Also the range of stories you could cover would be so exciting you could be in the middle of the Amazon one week and the next you would be in New York shooting fashion week. With a camera in hand you could tell the stories of those who wouldn't be able to in the first place. Perhaps I have a skewed view of what a photojournalism is but this description is for the idealist in me.

What does your favourite shirt look like? 
My favourite shirt is this charcoal grey Foster the People band tee I got in grade 9. It has the bands name in block letters along the top and some artwork covering the middle, there's a small hole in the back from me wearing it so much but such is life. When you've paid 30 dollars for a t-shirt you're going to wear it until it has to become a quilt.

Han taking a selfie with a live ducks in a ornamental pond on campus
A really excited Han, because she saw a male and female duck, and thought it was so cute 😅 
If you are a full time student looking for work, consider applying at the libraries.

The French version of this article is available here: http://uabsj.blogspot.com/2019/10/laissez-nous-vous-presenter-han.html

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Let's Library! A 30-Minute Session to Get You Research-Ready

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The first weeks of class are over and perhaps you are sitting with your course outline in-hand wondering how you will get all of your research done for your assignments. Fear not!

Let's Library, an introductory information session offered at Rutherford Library, can get your library skills research-ready! 
A short 30 minutes may reduce your research stress by familiarizing you with the large number of resources and services the Libraries have to offer. Learn how to search our catalogue, find online content, search for your textbooks in our course materials collections, and other fantastic on-campus tips (like the locations of the nearest microwaves).



Held in the Learning Lounge of Rutherford Library North's main floor, these sessions are open to all UAlberta students.

You can choose one of our many sessions available between September 16-19 and 23-26 at 10:15 am or 2:15 pm. Additional evening sessions at 5:00 pm on September 18, 19, 25, and 26.
Sign up for a Let’s Library session HERE or you are welcome to drop-in!


Photo: Rutherford Librarian David Sulz cruises through our collection

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Real Life Special Collections - The William C. Wonders Map Collection

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♫♪ “I’m the Map, I’m the Map, I’m the Map!” ♫♪

My 10 minute map activity using the 
#MomSelfieSkills 

“Mommy, what is the Map do?”

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon in Edmonton and at my three year old’s request we were watching Dora The Explorer.

“Uh, a map tells you where to go.” I blurt out as I let the dog in from the back yard and try to catch her with a towel before she traced mud all over the house. Our day continued in the normal way of snacks, playing, supper, more snacks, more playing until finally the tiny humans were asleep for the night.

As I normally do in the quiet of the evenings, I replayed the day’s activities in my mind. When I came to my answer about what a map does I thought a bit more about my answer and begin to question myself. Is that the right answer? Did I just lie to my son? Will he be forever scarred because I told him the wrong thing about a map?!

Before I engulfed myself in mom guilt I realized that I knew just the person to ask about maps, my colleague at Cameron Library and Maps Assistant, Bonnie Gallinger. I thought about the William C. Wonders Map Collection at Cameron Library and how there must be more things that maps can do. I mean students and members of the public come to Cameron to use the map collection all the time.

At work on Monday I contacted Bonnie and the Maps librarian Larry Laliberte about my blurting out a random thing about maps to my son and asked what else a map can do.

Larry’s response was quick and full of resources for me to teach my son about maps as well as some history on the collection that lives in on the 4th floor of my work home. Larry’s top recommendations for books that teach children about maps are The map that came to life, Here we are, Junior Atlas of Alberta and Looking at maps, where the latter was written by none other than THE William C. Wonders that our map collection is named after and his partner and award winning cartographer Lillian J. Wonders. I placed a hold on all of these recommendations right away and dove right into the old Folio article about the collection that he sent me. WOW! It’s the largest academic map collection in Canada with over 460 000 maps, 5 000 atlases, about 1 million aerial photos, 600 gazetteers and globes! A map of The Marvelous Land of OZ, Narnia and the Surrounding Countries and a hockey map of Canada Oh my!

Bonnie gave me many great atlas recommendations to teach my son about maps. Bonnie’s recommendations were Children Map of the World (volumes 1 & 2) , Journeys of the Imagination, The Natures of Maps and Great Maps. Bonnie has a succinct message about maps for children. She says. “Maps can show you where you are and where you have been. Maps show you where things are, how far away and which direction they are in.”

Sonya (left) & Bonnie (right) in The William C. Wonders Map Collection. 


Bonnie suggested an exercise to do with my son: Show him a map and ask simple questions like why do you think the field is green and the lake is blue? Or even just point out where things are on the map like the playground, your house or his daycare. “This activity could take up at least an hour after supper!” I thought. Excited at the thought of spending an hour of non-screen time that night I got a map of Edmonton from the William C Wonders Map Collection. That night my son and I played with the map I brought home for about 10 minutes which felt like an hour. I’m still going to count it as a win.





Discover the world of 'wonders' that awaits you at the William C. Wonders Collection on the 4th floor of Cameron Library. Also, for the month of August a carefully curated selection of atlases are on display on Cameron Library’s main floor as well. 

A selection of atlases & globes from The William C. Wonders Map Collection are on display at Cameron Library
for the month of August.


Friday, July 26, 2019

Library Closures on August 13 2019

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We’re going to be closed August 13 for Staff Learning on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Thank you for your understanding as we learn to serve our community even better.

Study Space Available

  • Rutherford North Library Main Floor
  • Cameron Library Main Floor and Basement
Please note there will be no access to library collections at these locations.

Closed Libraries

  • Augustana
  • Bibliotheque Saint-Jean
  • HT Coutts
  • JW Scott
  • Winspear
  • Bruce Peel Special Collections
  • RCRF
  • Archives

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Not finding it in the Library? We will try to fill the void!

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Can’t find what you are looking for? It’s happened to everyone at one time or another - a book or resource is just not in the library catalogue. Fortunately, there are several options available to you!

Quite often, the resource (sometimes an article) can be found by our Interlibrary Loans team.
Hint: If you are searching for articles, the place to find full-text is to click on “Get It!”. From there we suggest you search Google for free access first, and if you still cannot find the article then place an Interlibrary Loan request.

The Libraries' Course Textbook Initiative is another option which was conceived to increase student access to textbooks and offset their costs. If the book you seek is required for the course and costs more than $50 it will be made available in the Course Materials area. They may be borrowed for 2 hours during library hours.

If you can’t find it or your textbook is recommended or optional, you can request that we purchase it:
Students: submit a request for purchase  / Instructors: submit a Course materials / Reading List Request

Interested in finding out if your course textbook is available to borrow? Search Course Materials.
Questions about this service? Email: textbook@ualberta.ca

Recommend a Purchase:  If the item you are looking for is missing from our catalogue, then feel free to recommend a purchase and our Monograph Acquisition Team will try to get it for you, whether from Canada, or across the seas! Please do so using our Recommend a Purchase form. 

Should you require more information or assistance please Ask us!

Vous pouvez lire cet article en français sur notre Biblioblogue :  2019/07/vous-ne-le-trouvez-pas-dans-la.html

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Let us introduce you to... Kaitlyn, Sarah, Kathy, Carol!

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Staff profiles tell the story of an organization. Here at the University of Alberta Libraries, this is ours...
Meet Kaitlyn, Sarah, Kathy & Carol!
Kaitlyn Hill, Sarah Chomyc, Kathy Urban and Carol Rodgers make up our Monograph Acquisitions Team.


Congratulations! The Monograph Acquisition Team just got awarded the University of Alberta Library's Team Service Excellence Award Winners! How do you feel?
We are all very grateful that our team has been recognized in this fashion and consider this very positive feedback to the work we do every day! The award itself will serve as a reminder of what we’ve accomplished in the past year, and as an incentive to continue to work together to provide the best service possible to our Library and its users.

What does a monograph acquisition team do day to day?
A large part of our day is taken up by ordering, but it is more complicated than it might look at first glance, as we order many obscure items. The ordering process is more like detective work as we try to find a vendor that sells the requested item, and we end up ordering from all over the world. We can spend a day ordering from vendors in Alberta, Norway, and India all in one day! Other things we do are more behind the scenes tasks that bring materials to the area libraries, such as checking in periodicals, and helping staff and patrons troubleshoot problems with electronic resources. We also open the mail, which involves testing out the puppets and robots that we order! Working on the monograph acquisition team is really a challenging and exciting position, and often a new surprise pops up every day!

You must have some neat things coming through acquisitions. Any summer reading recommendations you can share with us?
Yikes!  We’ve been too busy ordering and haven’t had time to read anything to recommend. We have been testing out robots and puppets instead. However, we have been ordering some books for the Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover project, so we definitely suggest checking some of those titles out once the event begins.

Check out our previous 2017 and 2018 Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover events.

What are your plans for the trophy?
We will most likely purchase a grand trophy case made of marble from Italy, 24k gold handles, with proper air ventilation. Just kidding. It's currently sitting on top of Carol's desk hutch which provides a great vantage point for us all to admire it and remind ourselves to keep working hard to better our patrons’ experiences with the University Libraries!


Feel free to recommend a purchase for anything you find missing from our catalogue, and our Monograph Acquisition Team will try to get it for you, whether from Canada, internationally, or across seas😃👍


The French version of this article is available here! La version française de cet article est disponible ici: uabsj.blogspot.com/2019/07/laissez-nous-vous-presenter-kaitlyn.html


Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Let us introduce you to... Elisabet!

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Staff profiles tell the story of an organization. Here at the University of Alberta Libraries, this is ours...

Meet Elisabet!
June 30th is Social Media Day and we’re celebrating early by interviewing one of our Communications and Outreach members, Elisabet Ingibergsson, who handles the University of Alberta Libraries Facebook social media.



What is your role at UAL?
I am a public services assistant at Bibliothèque Saint-Jean.

What is the coolest thing about working at Bibliothèque Saint-Jean?

I just love that although I live in an English speaking province, the moment that I set foot onto Campus Saint Jean (and its lovely green spaces) I enter a bubble of francophonie. There are french speaking Albertans throughout the province, but here the French language rules!

How does it feel to have recently won a Service Excellence Award?


I was completely surprised and delighted to have been nominated, and actually winning the award was the icing on the cake. Last year I served at Cameron Science and Technology library filling in for a temporary placement. It was a big learning curve for me as I became accustomed to the databases, subject guides and people at the North Campus. I even learned how to operate the 3D printers! I strongly believe that excellence in public service can only be achieved when we have teamwork. This award is also a reflection on my colleagues in similar service desk positions and all those people who are helping us in the background - from the shelvers, the facilities staff, cataloguers, IT magicians, to the librarians and management! We can't shine without all the pieces of the puzzle doing their part for the whole.

What is your favourite emoji?
😁 full faced grin is great when an " ! " is just not enough.


What was the highlight of your Ireland trip this last spring? Recommendations?
Well, for sentimental reasons I visited the old library at Trinity College in Dublin where my parents met and fell in love💘 . Who can resist a library visit? Belfast is often overlooked by North American visitors, but is a lovely vibrant city, and from there a trip up the Antrim coast on the Causeway Coastal road is an unforgettable experience! End to end only a few hours, but days and days of adventures and side trips to little villages and castles!

Northern Ireland Ocean Cliff with a closeup of colourful wildflowers. Photo taken by Elisabet Ingiberggson

The emerald green fields of Ireland on a sunny day with sheep in a field. Photo taken by Elisabet Ingiberggson
Picturesque views caught by Elisabet while visiting Ireland

If you ever find yourself at the Bibliothèque Saint-Jean, come in and say Bonjour!

The French version of this article is available here: http://uabsj.blogspot.com/2019/06/laissez-nous-vous-presenter-elisabet.html

Monday, June 10, 2019

Indigenous Initiatives Projects at UAlberta Libraries

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Here at the library we have a stellar team of library folks working on indigenous projects to further our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

The team consists of:
Kathleen De Long, Associate University Librarian
Kim Bates, Learning Manager
Kayla Lar-Son, Academic Librarian Resident
Gabrielle Lamontagne, Indigenous Intern
Leigha Rind, Indigenous Intern
Geordie Cardinal, Public Service Assistant
Larry Laliberte, GIS Librarian
Debbie Feisst, Interim Head, HT Coutts Library
Sharon Farnel, Metadata Coordinator
Anne Carr-Wiggin, Coordinator, Indigenous Initiatives
Paul Gareau, Assistant Professor, Native Studies.

Here’s a quick overview of what they have been working on lately. Stay tuned for more updates on these projects in the future.

On May 8, 2019 Paul Gareau and Tanya Ball from the Faculty of Native Studies provided some insights into Indigenous Research Data Management (RDM) from the perspectives of a faculty member and a PhD student. Kayla Lar-Son (UAL Digital Initiatives) moderated the session while discussing the concept of Indigenous data sovereignty.
As part of a recent Instagram takeover, Indigenous Academic Resident Kayla Lar-Son highlighted some of the work that she is doing in Digital Initiatives (DI) including spotlighting some of UAL’s unique Indigenous collections. Currently, issues of Alberta Native News are in the process of being digitized in a project lead by DI Librarian Michelle Brailey.




A post shared by University of Alberta Library (@uofalibraries) on
The Decolonizing Description Project team has been actively engaging members of Indigenous communities both on and off the UAlberta campus in a holistic, collaborative, flexible and ongoing process to address problematic terminology in resource descriptions. Knowledge gathering events on North and Augustana campuses, as well as at the Maskekosihk (Enoch) First Nation open house, have been well received, and we have learned a great deal that we can apply to our practices. Further knowledge gathering sessions are being planned.

UAL staff have been working with health sciences students, faculty and clinicians to envision what a Health Sciences Indigenous Information and Learning Commons as part of the Health Sciences Library might be.  Several engagement sessions with stakeholders have been held through March and April.

Kayla Lar-Son, Allison Sivak and Leigha Rind hosted library sessions for Native Studies - Aboriginal Women (NS 362) students before their class every Tuesday evening during the Winter 2019 term. To focus on building relationships, the sessions were casual and there was always time for coffee & visiting. The students were given instructional sessions about library services. They also visited Jessica Thorlakson in Cameron library for a 3D Printing tour, explored hidden gems in the Circumpolar collection, and created work for their class project, the Visual Arts Journal.

UAL is happy to announce a new electronic resource 4 Seasons of Reconciliation, a multi-media teaching unit that promotes a renewed relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canadians. This educational initiative, developed for secondary, post-secondary and the workplace incorporates teacher guides, slideshows, videos and films along with engaging online portals.